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The number of applications where bacteria can help humanity is incredibly vast, and includes high performance activities such as producing costly goods (e.g., food additives, bioplastic or biofuels), removing pollution (e.g., degrading plastics) or delivering poison to cancerous tissues. However, their usefulness is limited mostly by a lack of a means of control. For example, production rates can be greatly improved if the bacteria gene expression can be controlled. Indeed, control over gene expression is the favorite method for harnessing bacteria production power.

Such systems of control are available for a small selection of bacteria that are easily cultivated in a standard laboratory. What about the myriads of bacteria that have never seen a laboratory, or even the lesser-studied laboratory bacteria? The potential of such bacteria to support humanity and relieve the human impact on our fragile environment is enormous.

The use of specific chemical to control gene expression is a useful approach for forcing high performance from bacteria. All of the projects in the McIntosh group are focused on either the development of such control systems or their applications in non-model and lesser-studied bacteria.

• RNase as a component of inducible gene expression
• Production of curdlan from waste
• Controlling bacterial cell volume
• Quorum sensing as a system of production control
• Identifying marine microorganisms that are efficient at PHB degradation

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